82	HENRY FIELDING
" though he is," said he, " a good actor, and doth all
he can to hide it. Well, I would not have so much to
answer for, as that wicked man there hath, to sit upon
a much higher chair than he sits upon. No wonder he
run away; for your sake I'll never trust an innocent
face again."
The grave-digging scene next engaged the attention
of Partridge, who expressed much surprise at the number
of skulls thrown upon the stage. To which Jones
answered that it was one of the most famous burial-
places about town.
" No wonder, then," cried Partridge, " that the place
is haunted. But I never saw in my life a worse grave-
digger, I had a sexton, when I was clerk, that should
have dug three graves while he is digging one. The
fellow handles a spade as if it was the first time he had
ever had one in his hand. Ay, ay, you may sing. You
had rather sing than work, I believe." Upon Hamlet's
taking up the skull, he cried out, " Well! it is strange
to see how fearless some men are: I never could bring
myself to touch anything belonging to a dead man, on
any account. He seemed frightened enough, too, at
the Ghost, I thought. Nemo omnibus horis sapit" *
Little more worth remembering occurred during the
play, at the end of which Jones asked him which of the
players he had liked best. To this he answered, with
some appearance of indignation at the question, " The
King, without doubt."
" Indeed, Mr. Partridge," says Mrs. Miller, " you
are not of the same opinion with the town; for they
1 No one keeps his wits about him all the time.